Beautiful things happen when communities come together to take hunger off of the Washington area map. People hear the rallying cry that “hunger is here,” and they are inspired to do something about it. Every time the Capital Area Food Bank goes into the community and enlists the help of those who believe in this movement, a bowl is filled.
That’s just what happened at our first ever three-event Empty Bowls series, which this Fall included stops in D.C., Bethesda, and Springfield, VA. Together, we raised enough money to provide 92,000 meals, all made possible by the generosity of over 700 event attendees in three different regions. 
“Hunger is here – it’s in Columbia Heights, and it’s in Takoma Park. It’s in Manassas and Dale City. It’s in Gaithersburg and it’s in Rockville,” said Nancy Roman – the CAFB President and CEO – during her remarks at the three events. Those gathered in the room said they felt hunger hit closer to home when Nancy said those words. The problem becomes much more apparent and much more immediate when you think in terms of the neighborhoods and zip codes it affects.
And there isn’t a single neighborhood, zip code or census tract that hunger has not affected. That’s why the CAFB is working around the clock to take hunger off the map. If you were among the nearly 700 people who came to our Empty Bowls events tour, we thank you. Thanks for joining the movement. We hope that next Fall, you’ll bring a friend or two to help us #FillTheBowl.